


Through It All, We Dance

by delible_ink



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Caregiving goodness, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Sickfic, Tropes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:27:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22606999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delible_ink/pseuds/delible_ink
Summary: Caleb runs afoul of the forest, and winds up at death's door. Enjoy fluff and feels, and a strong reminder of the importance of the buddy system. Also, bringing in Melora some more because I LOVE her.This is my (belated) birthday gift to me, and to you! Many thanks to scarscarchurro for the suggestion! I am a sucker for this trope. It accidentally turned into 11 pages of tropes, but I hope you enjoy it.Merry Clayleb to all!
Relationships: Caduceus Clay/Caleb Widogast, The Mighty Nein & Caleb Widogast
Comments: 14
Kudos: 139





	Through It All, We Dance

“Caduceus? When did you get here? Are you going to dance with us?” Caleb blinked, hazy-eyed. He pressed a hand to the cleric’s chest, but there was no strength in it.

"It's time to go home now, Mr. Caleb. No more dancing tonight." Caduceus tried his best to stay calm. Terror threatened his senses. Time was short. Caleb's consciousness was fading. Cad wasn't sure he'd regain it.

"That is a shame, Herr Clay. I did not get to dance with you." 

"Another time, Mr. Caleb. I promise." He seemed to relax at that response. 

Caduceus carried Caleb out of the woods and to his waiting horse, trying his best to hide his fear. Caleb hadn’t gone far before Cad noticed he was missing. Unfortunately, he had gone far enough. Caduceus pushed the horse as hard as he dared, racing through the downpour.

“I know these woods, Caleb. You could have let me help. You could have taken someone with you.” He muttered. “You don’t always have to go alone...This is why we have the buddy system.” There was no response. There hadn’t been for several minutes. The last sentence had been more to comfort himself than anything. A pang of relief touched Caduceus as the inn came in sight, mingling with his adrenaline and anxiety.

* * *

An hour before, Caleb sat awake in bed, Nott sound asleep beside him. He stared out the window down on a familiar road, rain pelting against the glass as restless energy boiled beneath Caleb’s skin. This was all his fault.

It was Caleb’s fault they were back here, not far now from Shady Creek Run. On the edge of the Savalirwood, though not close enough to stay at Caduceus' house. 

Caduceus. They should be here to break the curse that was killing his home. They should be here to help the man who had done so much for them, and who had come to mean so much to them, and especially to Caleb, though he had not dared tell him. 

Instead, here they were, chasing down Caleb’s past, a war he couldn’t seem to extricate himself from. They'd heard rumors of a rift into the Abyssal Plain opening up near the wood, on the Empire side. The Nein had gotten word that the Cerberus Assembly was getting involved, but the specifics around it seemed off, and terribly familiar. Caleb expected to find his former mentor lurking closely to whatever was really going on. Maybe his old friends as well. If he had just learned earlier, if he could have changed the timeline sooner... None of his friends would have to deal with this. But now he was awake, planning, unable to sleep. Relentless and terrible dreams dogged him. This could be his chance to tip the scales, to right some amount of wrongs. He felt ready now. He could face Trent. He wasn’t a scared little boy anymore. This time the people he loved could be left out of it.

So quietly, Caleb slipped out from the bed, dressed in silence, prepared his spells, and dropped a kiss on Nott’s forehead, soft enough to keep from waking her. He crept into the common room.

Everyone should have been in bed, but there was Caduceus, curled in a high-backed chair, the book on plants Caleb had given him dropped on the floor some time ago. He snored, and Caleb sighed in relief. He hadn’t been caught, but the sight of Caduceus sleeping there, book forgotten, arm dragging on the floor, snagged Caleb momentarily. He almost stayed, almost went back upstairs to get Cad a blanket. He settled for marking Cad’s page, and placing the book on the side table next to him. His hand hovered over Caduceus’ wild hair, and he took a breath before deciding against a goodbye, and disappearing into the night.

He took off immediately for the woods. They were close enough to the spot where the reports were coming from that Caleb chose to go on foot. The only reason they had stopped was so the others could regain their energies. Caleb hadn’t used any of his spells. He was itching to put an end to this rift, and hopefully the darkness in his past as well. At least get a step closer to it.

He lost no time in escaping among the trees, confident in his sense of direction to carry him to the place. He saw what was certainly a campfire not too far in the distance. 

“An odd place to camp. Stranger to keep a fire in this weather.” 

Caleb had not accounted for the forest or its tricks. Even without a curse, it was foolish to head into the Savalirwood alone. He hadn’t planned on fey lights, or trees and brambles with wills of their own and an intent not to be disturbed by outsiders. He hadn’t planned on strickthorn or witherweed or waking dreams.

Caleb hadn't planned on anything but a portal to close and a past to reckon with. He knew that laugh in the distance, that unmistakable laugh. It sent a thrill to his heart and chills down his spine. He heard Astrid, giggling, caught a flash of her, dancing in the rain, with Wulf hot on her heels.

Caleb was almost there. They were just around the next tree. He could see Astrid’s hair, and Wulf’s soaked shirt clinging to his chest...but they kept pulling just out of reach. It didn't dawn on him that they hadn't aged a day, that they were too fantastic, too free to be right, to be soldiers, or even the Astrid and Wulf he knew. He almost caught her hand when something grabbed his foot, winding its way around his ankle, binding his leg. Thorns stabbed into the flesh, and his body seized. He felt a paralytic cold in his leg, crawling up his body. Before he could reach his pocket, a vine snaked across his shoulder, jabbing deep, just below his clavicle. He cried out as his vision blurred, pain throbbed through his arm, into his chest. Consciousness bled from him, and his body hung, suspended between the thornbush at his feet and the vine piercing his torso.

* * *

Caduceus stirred when the chill, wet air gusted in, the tavern door slamming shut. He sat up slowly, blinking. Someone has gone outside. Looking around him, he saw someone had also picked up his book. He looked at the wire marking his page. 

Caleb. 

Of course, he could have just done that on his way to bed. Cad remembered Caleb and Nott sitting downstairs before he fell asleep. Still.

Cad hurried up the stairs, knocking on Nott's door. It took a few tries to wake her. When she finally answered, she had the look of someone on the verge of a wicked hangover.

" Hi. I'm sorry. Nott, is...is Caleb in there with you?"

“Of course he is,” she snapped, gesturing towards the bed. They both simultaneously realized the space she pointed at was empty, and Caleb’s coat was gone.

Nott began to panic. Caduceus held his calm, at least externally. “He’s gone to take care of them without us, hasn’t he? Nott, please stay here. Don’t let anyone else leave. If he went into the woods, I can find him.”

“Caduceus, he’s my boy--”

“And I’ll bring him back to you. But if you get lost, I can only find one of you at a time. Please.” 

Nott was reluctant, but she couldn’t argue with his reasoning. Caduceus could talk to the trees. She nodded. “Bring him back to me, Caddy.”

He nearly smiled. “Of course I will.”

Caduceus dashed to his room, grabbing his medicine bag before heading out into the pouring rain. He saw a shadow vanishing into the trees. “Caleb!” He called, but no answer came. 

Within moments, he saddled his horse and took off, riding hard in the direction the shadow had gone.

“Thank you, friend.” Caduceus patted the horse as he dismounted. “I can’t take you with me in there. It isn’t safe. I need you to wait for me. You’ll have to take two of us back the way we came. Please.” 

The horse whinnied and shook its mane, stamping the ground with a hoof. Cad took that as an affirmative.

“Wildmother, please, guide me. Show me his path so I can bring him home.”

The branches began to pull back, and even in the dark, the moonlight shone unusually bright to reveal broken twigs, and a clumsily forged path. This was not his Caleb--not their Caleb. Caleb was careful. Caleb was calculated. Was this the right way?

A flurry of lights danced at the corner of Cad's vision, and he heard his mother’s voice, calling his name.

“No. Stop that.” Caduceus spoke as if scolding a child. “You know me and you know better.”

The fey lights stopped, and the voice ceased. “ _ That’s _ what you did.” Caduceus realized he  _ was _ on Caleb’s path, but Caleb didn’t know the forest he was up against. Fortunately for him, Caduceus did. “You should have taken me with you.” Caduceus said to the man he couldn’t see. “I was there. You should have asked…”

Pressing ahead and following the broken trail Melora illuminated, Caduceus came upon Caleb’s stupefied body. He examined the thornbush, careful not to touch it. 

“Okay. Strickthorn. Rude, but we can deal with that.” He scanned up, and his mouth fell at the sight of the purpling vine dug into Caleb’s chest. “No. No no no no no.” Caduceus pulled a knife from his bag and hacked the piercing limb from the parent branch, catching Caleb as he fell forward. Caduceus’ eyes blackened. “Get. Back.  **Now** .” The vine began to recoil, and the strickthorn released its hold, removing its paralyzing toxins from its victim. Caduceus wrenched the remaining vine from Caleb’s chest. When he was satisfied that it had come out clean, he scooped Caleb up, and tore through the forest, back towards the inn.

  
  


* * *

“Caduceus! What happened? Is Caleb alright? Why are you carrying him? Is he dead? What’s going on!” Nott was hanging outside the tavern door the moment Caduceus’ horse came into view. He pushed past her, finding the rest of their friends huddled around the fire, waiting.

“I need hot water, clean rags, and a basin. Fjord--fill my teapot, please.”

Fjord was on his feet immediately as Yasha and Jester headed for the kitchen.

"I've got some bandages and wraps you can use." Beau saw the wound in Caleb's chest. "It's okay if they get ruined." 

Cad gave her a short nod. "Thank you, Beau. Nott, we need to clean the wound. There's not much time."

That was all it took to send her running upstairs, Cad close behind.

* * *

They undressed him, Caduceus checking over his body, quick but careful. "Nott, if you see any plant material on him, I need to know. We can't miss anything. Look for purple. Even a splinter." 

Caduceus laid his sleeping form on the mattress. The shoulder wound was the only place they could find where the infection had taken hold. That at least was a mercy. The bulging veins, the disconcerting black and purple web of blood vessels around the pierced flesh looked awful, but the flesh hadn’t begun to fester, so there was a chance Caduceus had been early enough.

The rest of their friends joined them in Nott and Caleb’s room, and Caduceus began soaking rags and pressing them to the wound. Fjord looked away, feeling sick at the sight of the black and purple ichor oozing from Caleb’s shoulder. Jester tried to busy herself by casting mending on Caleb’s ruined coat and shirt. At least that had been successful.

“Yasha, can you help me?” Keep pressing the wound until his blood runs completely red. It’ll seem like...a lot. But we need to draw out the sap.” Yasha nodded, taking easily to the task. Blood didn’t bother her. “Change the rags once they’re stained. It won’t help if we’re just pushing it back in.”

“What is that stuff?” Nott asked. Her nose wrinkled while she looked on, somewhere between fear, disgust, and curiosity. 

“Witherweed sap. And if it gets into your body, it will do to you what its name suggests.You wither, from the inside out. It’s a parasitic plant. It feeds on blood, liquifying its victims’ organs and drinking from them like a river. Not a nice person, as plants go. More useful when tamed in a graveyard than when it gets to grow wild and malicious…”

Caduceus dug in his medicine bag while he spoke, and found a pouch of tea. “Good. still some left.” He said to himself. He dropped the leaves into his teapot, forgoing a strainer entirely. “Fjord, in 3 minutes, I want you to pour that into a cup. 

Jester wrung her hands “Caduceus, I don’t understand. Can’t we just heal him?”

Cad shook his head. “Not unless you have an extra diamond you forgot about. Witherweed poison is like...a natural curse. It takes more than a healing word or touch to lift it, and I don’t have the tools for that. We can try in the morning, if we can find someone to sell us a diamond. But he doesn’t have til morning. We’ll have to do this the old fashioned way.”

Jester looked like she was about to cry. Fjord put an arm around her, Beau taking her free hand.

“It’s okay. I’ve seen my mother do this.” Caduceus tried to encourage them. “If he makes it through the night, he’ll most likely mend, with or without the diamond.” 

“That doesn’t sound as reassuring as you think it does.” Nott informed him.

“It’s the best I have.” Cad told her.

Caduceus sat opposite of Nott, beside Caleb. He propped the man up in his arms. “Caleb, if you can hear me, I need you to drink this. Please.”

He massaged Caleb’s jaw open, the last of the strickthorn working its way up and out of his system. “Fjord.” Cad held out a hand and Fjord gave him the teacup. Caduceus tipped it gently against Caleb’s lips, small sips, waiting to see if it would go down. He saw Caleb’s throat bob, a weak swallowing motion.

“Good. That’s good, Caleb. A little more.” He continued until the cup was empty, and refilled twice more. Then he laid Caleb back down. “You did well. You can rest.”

Caduceus shifted, sitting back against the headboard and closing his eyes. He inhaled deeply, trying to calm himself. He looked over at Nott, combing Caleb’s hair back, then to Yasha, who had resumed pressing the wound.

“How’s it coming?” Caduceus asked, leaning in closer to inspect the mark. The spiderwebs were smaller, much of the purple now gone. The flesh would bruise, but that would be alright. Yasha showed him her rag, mostly red. Still some spots that were too dark.

“I’ll finish it. You should rest. All of you.” 

“Shouldn't you rest too?” Fjord prompted. 

“I’m staying here. In case he wakes up.” Cad didn’t mention that there was precious little he could do once the poison was drained, but he didn’t feel like he could leave Caleb.

Slowly, all but Nott filed out of the room. Caduceus continued to milk the wound, until all that came out was Caleb’s own blood. They had taken a lot. That alone would weaken him. Caduceus pressed a hand gently to his chest, and cast a healing spell, to stave off the weakness of the blood loss. Caleb would need all the help he could get in recovering. 

Cad moved to inspect Caleb’s leg. The spell had no trouble in healing that wound. Strickthorn grabbed and paralyzed, mostly to keep predators from trampling it. Once it let go the only danger was the gash it left you with. Since Caleb hadn’t had to rip his way free, that injury was minimal.

“Is he really going to be alright, Caduceus?” Nott finally asked her question while they moved him beneath the covers.

“I hope so. We’ve done the best we can without a diamond, and we were fast. Given the circumstances, he has a good chance.”

“Given the circumstances. And those are not  _ good _ circumstances.”

Caduceus shook his head. “But the Wildmother helped me find him. I have to believe she wouldn’t do that if she was going to let him die anyway.” There was a tremor in Caduceus’ voice. It caught him by surprise.

Nott went to the window and opened it, swinging one leg over the side. “I don’t have to believe anything. I’m not going to risk it. I’m going to find a diamond.” She disappeared.

Caduceus pulled a chair up next to the bed, and took one of Caleb’s hands in both of his. He folded them together, resting his forehead on them. “Stay with me. Please, stay.”

* * *

Caduceus woke early, a sharp pain in his back. He had fallen asleep in the chair, hands still clutching Caleb’s, his body slumped forward, face buried in the quilt.

“Caleb!” Last night rocketed back into his brain, and he searched Caleb for signs of life. His pulse was better than it had been. He was breathing. No sign of deterioration, but neither was he awake. Caduceus moved to the bed, sitting more comfortably to watch over Caleb. He looked at the pierced shoulder, touched the wound. Caleb flinched a little, which was honestly a relief. He was conscious enough to feel. Cad’s fingers came away clean. The wound wasn’t oozing or sticky, its colors that of a regular wound. No signs of poison or putrification. Caleb had made it through the night. He might be okay.

“Caleb.” Caduceus whispered. “You stayed. Thank you.” 

Caduceus went to the fireplace in the room, stoked the flames, and hung his tea kettle for another pot of the blend he’d used earlier. It was from a very old family in the Blooming Grove, one known to have strong restorative properties in what grew from them. Their lives were something of a mystery, but Caduceus liked to believe they had been healers. He sat on the floor and prayed while his kettle boiled. Once it was ready, he resumed his place beside Caleb, again cradling him, and attempted to feed him more of the elixir. 

Caleb’s eyes fluttered as he adjusted himself in Cad’s arms.

“Oh...you’re awake?” Caduceus smiled down at him. 

Caleb looked up, somewhat dazed. “Am I?” Caleb reached up to Cad’s chest, fingers scratching in the pink patch of fir peeking out from his unbuttoned shirt. “You feel real. But this…” He looked around the room, too weak and too tired to do more than move his head. The last thing he remembered was chasing Astrid and Wulf through the forest. Dancing. But, no, that couldn’t have been right. And then Caduceus was...carrying him? He had promised him a dance. Or was that a dream? Caduceus was here now, and that was not real, was it? He’d never woken up to Caduceus like this...not that he minded. Not that he hadn’t dreamed it in other dreams. But this one was so vivid, and everything had been so fuzzy since he went to find Astrid and Wulf in the woods. Caleb closed his eyes again, unable to get his bearings or clarify his realities. He started to feel dizzy.

Caduceus blushed at Caleb’s lingering touch. It was unexpected, and not quite the same as Caleb’s feeble grasp when Caduceus rescued him. It was...intentionally soft. He thought back to what Caleb had said in his daze last night,  _ That is a shame, Herr Clay. I did not get to dance with you. _ It had been some part of the forest’s bewitching, certainly, but why would Caduceus have been part of it? Why would he still be now? Cad cleared his throat.

“Here, Caleb. Drink this. It will help you get your strength back and...and feel more yourself.” 

Caleb took the cup, and Cad started to let go of him, but he felt Caleb falling backwards and resumed his hold. Caleb’s bright blue eyes flashed up at him. “Thank you.” He held Cad’s gaze as he drained his cup.

“You seem very like him, like my friend Caduceus. If you are a dream, you are a good one. More...real than the others. You made them too happy. Astrid...Wulf...they were never so...free. But you got him right.” Caleb babbled, and he let go of the empty teacup, dropping it onto the mattress. He reached up and touched Cad’s cheek. “You even got that sadness in his eyes. I like that about him, you know. He hides it very well, but it is there. It is very beautiful. Maybe it’s because you know him. We are in his forest, ja?”

His hand fell back down, and he snuggled into an utterly shocked Caduceus, who wasn’t quite ready to let go, and was beyond any ability to process Caleb’s present state. Caleb fell back into sleep instantly. Caduceus had to carefully remove Caleb’s hand from his shirt, and pull the covers back over his chest. He put Caleb’s tea aside and started preparing his own when he heard a knock at the door. Fjord opened it, holding a breakfast tray and a bowl of broth.

“I thought you might be hungry, and we could see if Caleb might take something other than tea.” He scanned the room. “Where’s Nott? I brought bacon.”

“She left, last night. She said she couldn’t be expected to just hope...which is fair. She went to see if she could get a diamond. I didn’t ask how. I’m sure I don’t want to know.” 

Fjord nodded. “I’ll ask Jester to send her a message...How is he?”

“I think he’ll pull through. He woke up for a little but he didn’t seem to know where he was. He thought I was someone else.”

“Someone else? Like Trent? Did he try to hurt you?”

Cad shook his head. “No, no. He was very kind. Just, confused, I think. I’m hoping he’ll have a little more clarity once he gets his strength back. The broth should help. That was a good idea. I think something in the forest played tricks on him, made him think he was seeing things that weren’t there. Maybe things he wanted? But that’s why he got lost. Apparently the witherweed in these parts is smarter than most, or it had help from some other locals. It worked, whatever the case. We’re...very fortunate that we got him back at all.”

“Sounds like a long night. Do you need a break?” 

Caduceus shook his head. “No. I don’t think I could take one. I feel better being here, at least until Nott gets back.” 

“Well, if you need us, you know where to find us. Should we still try to get a diamond?”

“If Nott hasn’t, yes. He seems alright, but witherweed causes a slow death. It’s hard to tell if there’s something wrong that I can’t see.”

Fjord started to go when Caduceus stopped him. “Could you get me my book? I feel like maybe if I read to him, he’d like that.”

* * *

Nott had no luck robbing houses in the night--at least no diamond-related luck. She returned after Jester’s message, quick to check on Caleb. Finding Caduceus sitting on the bed, reading aloud words he could barely pronounce, she couldn’t help but smile. It was endearing. She crawled up on Caleb’s other side.

“I’m sorry I took off like that.”

“You don’t need to apologize. You needed a way to help. That was the best way you could.”

She nodded. “They said he woke up.”

“He did.” Cad cleared his throat.

“What? That’s it. Just, he did? What did he say?”

“He seemed confused. He thought I was...something in the forest, pretending to be me.”

“Fjord said you thought the forest was tricking him with things he wanted, getting him to stay so it could...eat him or something. Gross, by the way. But he still thought he was there?”

She raised her eyebrows, waiting for Cad to go on. 

He nodded. “I think so. I don’t know. Why would he think I was only pretending to be me? He said he saw his old school friends. He said the forest had gotten them wrong. They were too happy. But he thought it got me right.” He felt his face get hot, remembering Caleb’s fingers on his chest, and his words, and the way his eyes stared so deep into him. “I just don’t understand why he thought I wouldn’t be me.”

“Well, he would, if he figured out the trick.”

“I don’t understand.”

“If the trick was the forest getting him to stay, because of things he wanted, and he left looking for Trent and Astrid and Eodwulf, and then he figured out they weren’t themselves...Caleb would guess the forest changed tactics, and offered him something else he wanted.”

“But his friends?” Cad protested. “If Caleb wanted us that badly, he would have just stayed here.”

Nott shook her head. As much as she might not admit it, she loved sharing secrets like this, and she felt she owed it to Caleb to nudge him along in the right direction, after she mistakenly made trouble for them with her letter to Astrid. Caleb had mentioned it before. It was hard not to notice his attention wander, not to catch how Caduceus would crop up in conversation when it was just the two of them, when Caleb got particularly excited about things he liked, the way he did with cats, or magical theory. Caduceus came up the same way. One particular evening, Caleb shared a few too many drinks with Nott, and ended up admitting his crush. Nott considered presenting it this way to Caduceus was responsible, especially when she saw the blush in Cad’s cheeks, and she had peeked back in the window during her midnight run. She saw Caduceus sleeping, holding Caleb’s hand. She might as well point these two idiots in the right direction.

“Not  _ us _ . Caddy-boy. He  _ has  _ us. The forest was giving him something he didn’t have. So when he woke up and he found  _ you… _ ”

“I---what? Oh.  _ Oh? _ ”

Nott stood up on the mattress to pat Caduceus on the head. “There you go. Yes. Here. Watch.” 

She sat back down and patted Caleb’s cheek. “Caleb. Caleb. Wake up.”

Caleb stirred, and turned his head to look at his friend. “Nott--are you--how did I get back here?” He seemed much more clear in his mind than the first time, to Caduceus’ relief.

“You went without us to stop them, didn’t you.”

Caleb nodded. “You should not have to fight my battles…”

“We can talk about that later. You’re lucky Caduceus found you when he did.” Caleb turned his head to see Cad sitting next to him, book in his lap. Caleb registered the clothing he was wearing. He looked like the Caduceus he had dreamed about. Dreamed? Now he wasn’t sure, and the thought that he had actually said those things…

“How long have I been asleep?” 

“Caduceus brought you back late last night. It’s early afternoon now.”

“You did...wake up once.” Caduceus admitted. “But you weren’t feeling quite...yourself.”

“Oh.” Caleb blinked, then swallowed hard. He was definitely blushing.

“You were attacked by some trees or some shit.” Nott explained. “One of them poisoned you pretty bad. We need a diamond to fix you, in case Deucy’s dead people tea isn’t enough to do the trick. I couldn’t find any to steal last night, but I did pick this up from a little shop.” She held up a wooden cat figurine, and placed it on his nightstand. Caleb grinned and reached for it, and Nott was more than happy to let him inspect his prize.

“I love it. But--” he was feeling a little fuzzy again. “How do I know  _ you’re _ not just part of the forest’s trick too?”

“Caleb, if I were a forest trying to give you everything you wanted, and I was showing you Nott the Brave, what would I look like?”

Relief flooded Caleb. “You’d look like Veth Brenatto.”

“Exactly. And I don’t. And I’m Nott. Even the stupidest forest would know better than to make me a goblin in that kind of trap. Now. We need to find a diamond, and someone needs to stay with you. Who do you want to stay, me or Caduceus?”

Caleb felt mortified at being so put on the spot. Caduceus looked away, also feeling extremely embarrassed by the question. That was enough to make Caleb sure this wasn’t the forest. Nothing would make him try to run faster than that kind of question.

Caleb toyed with the edge of the quilt. “Well, Caduceus, you were...in the middle of a chapter, were you not? I thought...maybe you were reading to me.”

Nott grinned, and scampered towards the door before these bashful boys could ruin it for themselves. “Thought so. Caduceus, keep my boy safe! We’ll be back soon.”

Alone again, Caleb tried to prop himself up on one elbow, acutely aware of his own nakedness. He tucked the quilt around his waist, and stared into the patterned surface. “I ah, I am sorry if I said anything this morning that was, ah--”

“Nothing to be sorry for. I really am me though. I was then too.” Cad’s ears swished. His face felt hot again. “Here.” He handed Caleb a mug of broth, still warm. “The witherweed took a lot out of you. This will help put you right.”

When Caleb struggled a little, Caduceus put a hand on his back, support coming naturally. 

“Th-thank you, Caduceus.”

“Would you like me to keep reading?”

“ _ Bitte. _ Please. I can help with the words...if you get stuck.”

Caduceus resumed his reading, and Caleb felt warmed by the broth in his hands, and the rumbling rhythm of Caduceus’ baritone. When he drained his mug, he placed it on the nightstand, and pulled the covers back up around him. Caduceus was right. He felt like something had wrung him out entirely. Before long, he was feeling drowsy again. He shifted his position, leaning into Cad’s side so he could see the pages. His head dropped into Cad’s stomach once, then twice. The third time, it stayed. He was fast asleep.

Caduceus held him for an hour or so, before finally slipping away to clean up the room a little, and get any news he could about a diamond or the rift in the woods.

* * *

The trip into town for the rest of the Nein proved fruitless, but Caduceus seemed to be more concerned about it than the rest of them. Nott took Caleb’s state this afternoon (and her opportunity to play matchmaker) as a sign of progress. Fjord felt sure that Caduceus had been right. If Melora had brought Caleb this far, she wasn’t going to leave him now.

“If you want, Caduceus, I can cast another healing spell on him, just in case.”

“I--just in case.” Cad agreed. If it had been himself, he would have said don’t bother, but it was true. Caleb wasn’t showing any signs of witherweed sickness. He was sleeping a lot. The body needed that to make more blood, and Caleb had lost a lot. From what he had seen, from what he knew, Caleb was on the mend. But Caduceus didn’t feel like any great healer. What if he was missing something?

The thoughts followed him around for the rest of the evening, and it made it difficult for Caduceus to join in conversation. Sometime after dinner, Nott pulled him aside.

“Caduceus, you kept your promise. You brought him home. You made him better.”

“I don’t know that yet. I just...it seems too early to tell.”

“What do you know about this sickness?”

Cad sat down in the high-backed chair, staring into the tavern fire while he drank his tea. Nott perched on the arm, listening. “My sister got lost once when we were children. She got snared by a witherweed, and we of course didn’t have any diamonds on hand. It’s not something you keep lying around. She wasn’t supposed to be on her own. Everyone was supposed to have a buddy. Always take a buddy.” He fixed Nott with a stern look before continuing. “I found her. I had to go back for help because I couldn’t cut it down on my own. It took three days--I thought she was going to die. My mother didn’t leave her side. And I couldn’t help her. I couldn’t do anything but wait, and watch."

“Did your mother do anything different than what you did?”

Caduceus shook his head. “No. And she was gone for several hours before we found her.”

“And she was a kid. They’re...a lot easier to kill than adults. By all accounts, Caleb had a better chance at coming out alright than your sister did.”

Caduceus nodded, trying to take the hope she was offering.   
“I think you should stay in our room tonight. Don’t sleep in the chair. Take my spot. You can keep an eye on Caleb, and I’ll be just across the hall if you need.”

“Do you think Caleb will be alright with that?”

“I asked him before dinner. He is perfectly fine with having his healer stay with him. Besides, you have a book to read. Maybe you can borrow one of Jester’s, just to mix things up.” She winked at him obnoxiously, a strong attempt at trying to lighten his mood. Caduceus’ lip quirked. 

“Maybe another time.”

* * *

When Caduceus finally decided to turn in, he brought the rest of his things into Caleb’s room, and found Caleb sitting on the side of the bed. He’d managed to struggle into the trousers he usually slept in, but the pallor of his face betrayed the effort it took.

“I don’t think you should be trying to move around yet, Caleb.” 

Caleb met Caduceus with a small smile. “I am feeling a bit better, Herr Clay, and I thought since I was having company, I should be a little more presentable.”

“No need to make an effort for me. Not when you--” What, nearly died? Almost left us? Caduceus didn’t want to finish the sentence, but Caleb understood.

“I shouldn’t have gone alone. I know. Nott already scolded me for it.”

“I wasn’t going to scold you, Caleb. I just...the buddy system works.”

Caleb laughed, weakly, and it was enough to force him to lean back against the pile of pillows Nott had arranged against the headboard. He swung his feet up on the bed. “I almost waited. When I saw you sleeping. I thought you might want me to take a buddy.” 

“I would have gone with you, even if you did not want to wait.” 

The answer warmed Caleb’s heart. “It would have still been foolish. I wouldn’t have found them, no matter what, would I?”

Caduceus shook his head. “The wood didn’t seem likely to let you--it’s alright Caleb. We will find them. We are on track. The tavern keeper got news that the Cerberus Assembly troupe stopped in Hupperdook. Broken cartwheel, I think it was. No harm done.”

Caduceus yawned, and felt his body growing heavy. He hadn’t slept more than 6 hours in the past 2 nights, and it was starting to show.

With some effort, Caleb turned down the blankets and got under them. He extinguished his lantern, leaving just the hearthlight. “You can...sleep here. By me. If you would like.”  _ Please. _ Caleb felt selfish for asking. But Nott had said...and maybe there was a reason why all of this was happening. He shook his head a little.  _ Now you are starting to sound like them. ‘A reason for everything.’ _ But his mind stopped abruptly when Caduceus hung up his shirt, and slid beneath the covers. He took Caleb’s hand.

“If you need anything, just squeeze. I’ll be here.”

“Thank you, Caduceus. You have done...so much already. I owe you...much.”

“Just stay with us, Mr. Caleb. That’s all I ask.”

Caduceus found sleep difficult. He was comfortable enough, but buzzing with adrenaline, and whenever Caleb’s snores would grow shallower, he started, and couldn’t lay back down until he’d counted even breathing from the man beside him. Eventually Caleb was huddled close beside Cad, seeking warmth. Caduceus put an arm around him cautiously.

“Is this alright?” he whispered.

“ _ Ist gut. _ ” Caleb mumbled, fingers burying themselves in the pink patch on Cad’s chest.

Finally, sleep stole Caduceus away, and a dream carried him to his grove.

* * *

“Wildmother?”

“Hello my Clay.” she was dancing over the graves, withering weeds when her foot touched them in some places, blooming lichen and flowers and mushrooms in others.“Will you dance with me?”

“I don’t know that I feel up for dancing. It’s been a difficult subject the last few days.”

“I know. So will you dance?”

“If you lead.” He agreed cautiously.

Her laugh was warm chaos and new growth, and she whipped his hair in her breeze, leading him around headstones, over toadstools, further and further to the back of the garden. They danced to the grave of the Ivernay family. The family that created the tea that helped Caleb.

“Do you know where we are, my Clay?” 

“I do.” He stammered, still stumbling along with her steps.

“And what do you know of this family?”

“Not much. Their tea is good.”

“What do you  _ know _ , my Clay? You have such wonderful thoughts.”

“I know...I believe they were healers.”

“You’re right. My intuition serves you well.”

Caduceus smiled at this compliment. “Thank you, Wildmother.”

“And why do you think you know that about them? You must have some connection.” She was leading him to a truth, holding him by his hands as they danced, pushing and pulling gently, now only circling this spot in strange patterns.

“Because...I am a healer?”

She laughed again, that musical, joyful catastrophic sound. “You are my healer, and you are a very good one, Caduceus Clay.”

“Does that mean...I can help Caleb?”

“You already have. You do not need shiny rocks or expensive things. I have given you what you need, and you use it well.”

Caduceus held onto her a little tighter, and she felt his fear. Her dancing slowed, but never stopped. She pulled Caduceus close to her, as a mother holds a frightened child. “He will live. A great healer saw to that, and I watched him do it.”

She kissed his forehead before releasing him into a whirlwind of flowers. “Remember who and what you are, Caduceus Clay.” Her voice echoed into the void, giving way to a dreamless sleep.

* * *

For two more days, they cared for Caleb in shifts, and the Wildmother’s words continued to prove true. Caduceus committed himself to Caleb’s care, but allowed the others to support him. He had neglected to eat and had taken poor rest early on, and his found family was not about to allow that to continue.

On the second evening, Nott came downstairs to dinner and whispered in Cad’s ear. “He’d like you to come visit him, when you have a moment.”

Caduceus perked up instantly. He finished his meal before nearly dashing up the stairs.

“Caleb--Nott said you wanted to see me.”

Caleb stood in the middle of his room, dressed in sleep clothes, but clean, and looking well. His dancing lights bounced around the room.“Caduceus.” He ran his fingers anxiously through his hair. “I ah...was wondering if you could help me with something.”

“Of course. Anything.”

“You...ah...when you found me the other day. You said you would...that is, you promised we could dance, another time. I think I am up for it. If you would like.” He held a hand out to Caduceus, holding the posture of a gentleman, except that he was staring hard into the floor. 

Cad took a step towards him, and took his hand. He pulled Caleb against him, resting his free hand around his waist. Caleb laid his head on Caduceus’ breast, and inhaled deeply. They danced to the music of crickets outside, and a crackling fire, and somewhere in the distance, melodious, raucous laughter rang out.


End file.
